STACKHOUSE’S 10 WEEKEND THOUGHTS

1 – RUSH COMEBACK – For a change, the Saskatchewan Rush turned the tables on their opponent by dominating the fourth quarter, including scoring three in a row late to defeat the Vegas Desert Dogs 13-12 in their regular season finale Saturday night.  Trailing 12-10, Ryan Keenan scored his third of the night with 3:04 to go and then he scored again with 1:49 remaining.  Mark Matthews notched the winner in the final moments in a game the Rush never had the lead except for when it was 2-1 in the first quarter.  Laine Hruska made 35-saves in his second start, he wasn’t as sharp as his first game but he ended the season with a 2-and-0 record, an 11.13-GAA, and 76% SPCT.  Numbers that, surely, are good enough to be next season’s back-up.

2 – RUSH SEASON REVIEW – The Rush season was a complete mystery.  They started 4-and-2, with both losses coming by one goal in the final seconds, then proceeded to go 2-and-8 over their next 10 before finishing up 2-and-0.  I guess chalk it up to spotty goaltending, a rebuilding defense that has gotten a heavy influx of youth over the last two seasons, and aging offensive players who still appear to be elite some weeks but don’t seem to have the support cast for nights when they aren’t.  It should all make for an interesting off-season.

3 – RATTLERS KEY SIGNING – The Saskatchewan Rattlers have signed guard Drake Jeffries, which tells me the team will have a bit of a different look to their backcourt this season.  Jeffries comes with excellent credentials.  He signed with the Orlando Magic after graduating from the Wyoming Cowboys (NCAA), where he played his last two years and ranks in the team’s top three all-time in three pointers made and shooting percentage, in a season.  Jeffries, who’s also known for strong defense, played 37 minutes and scored 4 points and 10 rebounds in a 66-58 loss to Indiana in the March Madness First Four game of 2022.

4 – TBS OR SPORTSNET – There are many differences between Canadian NHL broadcasts and American ones but a major one was exposed Saturday night when TBS showed a camera angle replay right after Stuart Skinner coughed up the puck, resulting in the 4-4 goal scored by Philip Danault.  For the remainder of the game, TBS commentators remarked how Skinner wasn’t at fault but rather at the mercy of a broken stick.  Meanwhile, Sportsnet hung Skinner out to dry for fanning on the shot and it wasn’t until the postgame show when Kelly Hrudey apparently gave credit to Kevin Woodley of Goal Magazine for, suddenly, picking up on the little known (at least to Canadian fans and broadcasters) tidbit that Skinner’s stick had a crack in it and that’s why his clearing attempt failed.  Canada’s ability to play hockey is unmatched by any other country.  When it comes to covering the sport, we are a laughingstock.

5 – OILERS/LEAFS – The chances of an Edmonton-Toronto Stanley Cup final got a lot greater on Saturday and while I would love nothing more than for the Leafs to be out of the playoffs as soon as possible, there is a part of me that would enjoy watching the brand of hockey that series would generate.  As I write this, the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers are still alive but if both of them go down in the first round, I see nothing standing in Toronto’s way of reaching the finals.  Edmonton’s path would be similar if Colorado drops out early.

6 – JETS POST MORTEM – The Winnipeg Jets will not be in a Stanley Cup final any time soon.  In fact, I predict that if I have 30 more years left on planet Earth, I will not see them in the championship series.  That’s where I’m at as far as confidence in this organization is concerned.  The Jets were embarrassed out of the playoffs in five games by the Vegas Golden Knights and then their coach blasted the players in the postgame media conference. By Saturday, the coach had a come to Jesus moment and realized that if he wants to keep his job, he better apologize because this is one team where the players run the show, not those who are supposed to be in charge.

7 – BYE BYE VETS – Meanwhile, four of those players are all headed into the final year of their contracts and not a single one will be back come 2025.  You can take it to the bank.  On its face, that’s not a bad thing but you can be almost assured the Jets are going to get nothing of value for any of these malcontents.  Based on Saturday’s comments, Pierre Luc Dubois and Blake Wheeler may already be finished as Jets (although that would require a slumbering GM to make a trade).  Connor Hellebuyck stated he won’t sign with any team that is embarking on a rebuild and Mark Scheifele mentioned he’d like to stay but the decision really isn’t his to make.  Take it to the bank:  the Winnipeg Jets still have a ways to go before they hit rock bottom but they are definitely going to do so before anything changes.  

8 – BAD OWNERSHIP – Once again, it appears as though True North is trying to orchestrate their way out of the city by making decisions that alienate their fans and make it hard for those in the sales office to close deals on season tickets.  A change is needed at General Manager.  That’s been evident for, at least, two years and probably longer.  Yet, Kevin Cheveldayoff is headed into year 13 at the helm despite advancing out of the first round only twice during his tenure.  Talk about knowing where the bodies are buried.  The toxic culture that exists in the dressing room is a direct result of decisions made or neglected to be made by this General Manager.  He is the one that doubled down on this group after they missed the playoffs last season and that was an epic failure despite anything anyone else may be saying.  Being in first place in January and then barely squeaking into the playoffs in April after missing the playoffs entirely in 2022 is not progress despite the public spin.

9 – LAINE MISHANDLED – As a fan, I have seen this coming since the day Patrik Laine was shunned for wanting to be the focal point of the offense.  There have been a lot of knives thrown in the back of Laine since his trade to Columbus but there is no doubt in my mind that Laine would have signed a long term contract with the Jets, much like he did with the Jackets.  His main bone of contention was that he was stuck behind the aging and influential Wheeler.  In retrospect, was he wrong to ask for more of a role?  It’s also worth noting Laine scored two goals in his final game as a Jet, proving his trade value and effort.  Meanwhile, Dubois tanked his final five with Columbus exposing his true character.  Most people forget, but there was a famous video clip of him demonstrating one of the laziest shifts you will ever see in the NHL.  Nevertheless, Cheveldayoff assumed it would be different in Winnipeg but here we are two and a half seasons later and Dubois is dragging his you-know-what and is very non-committal to the organization.  Not to mention the fact he’s never scored 30 goals in a season anyway so to call him an elite centre is also to label him overrated.  They should trade him to Philadelphia to play for John Tortorella one more time (ask for no compensation whatsoever, he’s free).  I bet the Flyers wouldn’t even take that offer.

10 – WINNIPEG A GOOD MARKET – Cheveldayoff and True North defenders will point to Winnipeg as being the Siberia of hockey and that nobody wants to play there.  I will say this:  Laine wanted to.  Hellebuyck wants to if the team commits to icing a winner, Scheifele wants to (at least if you are to believe his public statements).  Josh Morrissey, Nik Ehlers, and Kyle Connor put their names to long contracts.  Winnipeg can absolutely attract players if they are serious about winning but there is no evidence to suggest that is the case.  What needs to happen is a change in culture and that has to come from the General Manager, but he doesn’t seem to have the stones to step outside his comfort zone and make the necessary moves.  As much as I am a fan of Laine, I can’t help but wonder about the trajectory of this team had they chosen Matthew Tkachuk second overall back in 2016.  I suppose it’s likely the end result would have been the same as it was in Calgary, but I still wonder.

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance writer/broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter at @Stack1975)